Agriculture

The agricultural sector accounts for a tiny portion of T&T’s overall economy. It contributed an estimated 0.5% of GDP in 2014, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, while agricultural exports contributed just 0.01% of GDP. In labour terms, the sector accounted for 3.5% of total employment in 2013, or some 22,000 jobs, according to the central bank. While this is largely in line with other Caribbean island states, it exposes T&T to a degree of vulnerability in terms of its import bill. To help mitigate this risk, the country has been working to bolster domestic production levels to achieve food security. Though production increases remain limited by structural inefficiencies, weaker oil prices have the potential to reinvigorate non-energy sectors such as agriculture in the years ahead.